diff --git a/src/game/engine/scenes/tests/auto_play.gd b/src/game/engine/scenes/tests/auto_play.gd
index 94d06bce..51474679 100644
--- a/src/game/engine/scenes/tests/auto_play.gd
+++ b/src/game/engine/scenes/tests/auto_play.gd
@@ -2721,13 +2721,18 @@ func _snapshot_ecology() -> Dictionary:
 	## mean + delta from Climate.get_canopy_summary, which wraps the Rust
 	## GdEcologyPhysics bridge. Returns zeros before TurnManager has produced
 	## a climate tick so the first seeded line still schema-validates.
+	# p2-80: fauna populated-tile count from the live ecology engine — the count
+	# the fauna overlay renders. >0 on a real worldgen game proves world-seeding
+	# bootstrapped the living world end-to-end.
+	var fauna_tiles: int = EcologyState.tile_densities().size()
 	var climate: RefCounted = TurnManager.climate as RefCounted
 	if climate == null or not climate.has_method("get_canopy_summary"):
-		return {"flora_canopy_mean": 0.0, "flora_canopy_delta": 0.0}
+		return {"flora_canopy_mean": 0.0, "flora_canopy_delta": 0.0, "fauna_tiles": fauna_tiles}
 	var summary: Dictionary = climate.get_canopy_summary() as Dictionary
 	return {
 		"flora_canopy_mean": float(summary.get("mean", 0.0)),
 		"flora_canopy_delta": float(summary.get("delta_since_last_turn", 0.0)),
+		"fauna_tiles": fauna_tiles,
 	}
 
 
diff --git a/src/game/engine/src/rendering/fauna_overlay_renderer.gd b/src/game/engine/src/rendering/fauna_overlay_renderer.gd
index 689446b5..65e7fe26 100644
--- a/src/game/engine/src/rendering/fauna_overlay_renderer.gd
+++ b/src/game/engine/src/rendering/fauna_overlay_renderer.gd
@@ -65,10 +65,23 @@ func clear() -> void:
 func _draw() -> void:
 	if not visible or _densities.is_empty():
 		return
+	# Fog gate: fauna is only drawn on tiles the viewing player has explored, so
+	# the lens never leaks creature positions on unseen terrain. Mirrors the fog
+	# treatment of hex_renderer's flora layer. FORCE_DISABLE_FOGOFWAR (autoplay /
+	# proof scenes) shows everything.
+	var fog_off: bool = EnvConfig.get_bool("FORCE_DISABLE_FOGOFWAR")
+	var game_map: RefCounted = GameState.get_game_map()
+	var view_idx: int = _view_player_index()
 	for pos: Vector2i in _densities:
 		var density: float = float(_densities[pos])
 		if density <= 0.0:
 			continue
+		if not fog_off and game_map != null:
+			var tile: RefCounted = game_map.get_tile(pos)
+			# Unexplored (visibility 0) tiles stay dark — no fauna leak. Explored
+			# tiles (visible or fogged) show the density; the player has been there.
+			if tile == null or int(tile.get_visibility(view_idx)) < 1:
+				continue
 		var t: float = clampf(density / _peak, 0.0, 1.0)
 		# Lift off the floor so the dimmest populated tile is still legible.
 		var fill_t: float = MIN_FILL_T + (1.0 - MIN_FILL_T) * t
@@ -76,6 +89,13 @@ func _draw() -> void:
 		draw_colored_polygon(_hex_at(pos), color)
 
 
+## The player whose vision gates the overlay — the local/current player viewing
+## the map. Falls back to slot 0 if no current player is resolvable.
+func _view_player_index() -> int:
+	var p: RefCounted = GameState.get_current_player()
+	return int(p.index) if p != null else 0
+
+
 ## Translate the shared flat-top hex polygon to the given tile's pixel origin.
 func _hex_at(pos: Vector2i) -> PackedVector2Array:
 	var origin: Vector2 = HexUtilsScript.axial_to_pixel(pos)
diff --git a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ecology/src/emergence.rs b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ecology/src/emergence.rs
index d096b983..bda40c4e 100644
--- a/src/simulator/crates/mc-ecology/src/emergence.rs
+++ b/src/simulator/crates/mc-ecology/src/emergence.rs
@@ -259,15 +259,22 @@ pub fn seed_base_trophic(
     seed: u64,
 ) -> Vec<PopulationSlot> {
     let mut slots = Vec::new();
-    if tile.habitat_suitability < config.habitat_abandon_threshold {
-        return slots; // too hostile to bootstrap any starter population
+    // Gate on terrain QUALITY, not `habitat_suitability`: the latter is
+    // flora-derived (`canopy·0.4 + undergrowth·0.3 + fungi·0.3`, see
+    // mc_climate::ecology::tick_habitat) and is ≈0 at genesis before any flora
+    // has grown — gating seeding on it would reject the entire map at world
+    // start (the chicken-and-egg that left the live world barren). `quality` is
+    // a stable worldgen property (the same habitability proxy the original
+    // EcologyInitializer used); quality 0 marks terrain too hostile for life.
+    if tile.quality <= 0 {
+        return slots;
     }
     let col = tile.col;
     let row = tile.row;
     let biome = tile.biome_label_id.as_str();
     // Starter cohort: comfortably above min_viable so the first dynamics tick
-    // doesn't immediately extinguish it; scaled by habitat quality.
-    let starter = (8.0 + 10.0 * tile.habitat_suitability).max(config.min_viable_population);
+    // doesn't immediately extinguish it; scaled by terrain quality.
+    let starter = (6.0 + 2.0 * tile.quality as f32).max(config.min_viable_population);
 
     // Pick a biome-appropriate species from the library; fall back to a
     // procedurally-generated one (library picks are filtered on flora structure